If you combine mechanical engineering expertise with solid project management skills and a collaborative spirit, this position offers you some compelling opportunities. You will:

• Play an important role as part of our global engineering group, supporting all Essilor production facilities around the world.
• Make an impact in a role that includes tooling design work, project management, new product development, operations support and more. Quick question for you - click here
• Get hands-on in our injection molding lab and polymer analytical lab, both on site.
• Expand your experience in leadership while also keeping your hands-on skills sharp.
• Build a career home -- we are particular about who joins our team, but once you are on board, you will enjoy unlimited opportunities to learn things beyond your job description.

Gentex Optics, an Essilor company, is one of the world’s largest designers and manufacturers of precision polycarbonate lenses. The company's history stretches back to 1970, and it became part of Essilor in 1995. Essilor of America, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of eyeglass lenses in the United States, employs more than 7,000 people and operates the largest and most comprehensive optical laboratory network in the U.S. Essilor of America, Inc. is a subsidiary of Paris-based Essilor International. Essilor manufactures optical lenses under the Varilux®, Crizal®, Transitions®, and other brands, and our products are worn by one billion people daily. Essilor has been on Forbes' list of the World's 100 Most Innovative Companies every year since 2010.

To meet the basic qualification for this role, you will have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. In addition, to be a good fit for the Tooling Leader opportunity, you will have:

• A bachelor's degree in Engineering.
• 3 to 5 years of experience demonstrating mechanical engineering expertise.
• Hands-on experience in measurements, stack-tolerances, assembly and debugging of tools.
• Excellent proficiency in 3D modeling using SolidWorks, AutoCAD or Inventor. Quick question for you - click here
• A strong background in the inter-dependency between machining of tools, metal properties (including thermal), part/runner/gate design, dimensional tolerances, and production processes.
• Experience in manufacturing/automation and a general understanding of interaction between tool/part design and its impact on automation from molding to packaging.
• Experience with vendor relationships with tool manufacturers.
• A good understanding of risk analysis, FMEA and design of experiments approach to tool development and problem solving.
• A strong background in data analysis, specifically on statistics of process capabilities and the relationship between tooling and production processes.
• A good understanding of project management from a tooling-development perspective.
• A proven ability to collaborate across cultures, languages, differing opinions, and geographical boundaries.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Solid verbal and written communication abilities.

Preferred but not required:

• Experience with injection molding is strongly preferred, and experience with injection molding of ophthalmic lenses would be ideal.
• A good understanding of or hands-on experience with FEA packages such as MoldFlow and Ansys.
• Experience with Matlab, R, Python or other engineering packages.
• Simulation experience.
• Experience with automation.

You will need to come into the facility several days a week as you get up to speed. Once it is safe to do so, you should expect to work on site full time.

Our customers (the production facilities) and vendors are located around the globe. You'll need to be willing to attend meetings, via phone and video, early in the morning and later in the evening to accommodate different time zones. In general, you can attend these meetings from home.

Some travel is expected, once it is safe to do so, to locations such a Mexico, Thailand, Brazil and others.

Reporting to an Engineering Group Leader, you will join a team that includes another engineer supporting design and tooling. The team also collaborates with a group in Asia, and you'll interact with other members of the global engineering team. Together these teams support all Essilor production plants around the world.

At any given time you will have multiple projects on your plate, leading some and contributing to others. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and supporting tooling aspects of new product development.
• Responding to requests, from the plants, regarding tools and molds.
• Ensuring all tools comply with Essilor standards of quality, and match well with the equipment being used and product being manufactured.

To give you an example of a project, we might need cost comparisons for multiple suppliers as we prepare to expand. You may compile the plans, along with information such as requirements, lead time, and maintenance considerations, and then seek qualified vendors accordingly.

More specifically, you will:

• Lead the ideation and design activities for the development of tools for ophthalmic products. This will include brainstorming, risk analysis, customer feedback and manufacturability considerations.
• Collaborate with internal partners to create, review and update a 3-5 year tooling roadmap for the manufacture of injection-molded ophthalmic lenses.
• Conduct in-depth analysis for development and debugging of tools using FEA packages for thermal, mechanical, and material flow evaluation.
• Create detailed 2D drawings and 3D models for Engineering and procurement purposes.
• Act as a liaison between suppliers and Engineering for all tooling related activities.
• Keep abreast of state-of-the-art tooling related to injection molding of ophthalmic lenses.
• Support manufacturing plants on tooling related topics.
• Create, review and update engineering and support documents as required per quality systems.
• Provide training and coaching on best practices for tool design, validation, and implementation.
• Support and lead engineering projects as needed.
• Supervise tooling technicians as required.

Center of excellence
Gentex Optics has been setting the standard for both lenses and coatings for decades. You will join a team carefully chosen to ensure we continue to provide best-in-class R&D and production support to the Essilor family.

Professional development
We'll support you in your growth goals, and your career at Gentex Optics and Essilor will be what you make of it. We also have a program to identify and mentor high-potential professionals.

Exciting time
Essilor's recent merger with Luxottica has made us the world's largest player in the eyewear industry, and the ongoing integration will create opportunities for strong performers.

Truly living our values
At Gentex Optics and across Essilor, we believe everyone deserves to see life and all its detail with the best vision possible. That's why, in addition to designing, manufacturing and distributing quality vision care solutions worldwide, we invest in raising awareness of the importance of good vision, support eyecare professionals, invent new technologies and products, and support philanthropic initiatives. We also are committed to robust standards for environmental sustainability. These are just a couple of reasons we were one of the 52 companies named to Fortune magazine's 2019 Change the World list.

Excellent compensation
In addition to a competitive salary and bonus potential, we offer an exceptional mix of first-rate benefits, including medical, dental and vision plans; a 401(k) plan with company match; tuition reimbursement; comprehensive training through Essilor University; lens and frame benefits for you and your family; an employee stock purchase plan with company match; and more.

Video: As part of the #DifferenceMakers campaign, Essilor chose four eyecare professionals and three Essilor employees to participate in a mission trip to Southeast Asia in March 2019.